Convert M4A to MP3
Change iPhone voice memos, iTunes songs and other M4A files into 192 kbps MP3s for players and sites that need MP3. Free, no sign-up.
Change iPhone voice memos, iTunes songs and other M4A files into 192 kbps MP3s for players and sites that need MP3. Free, no sign-up.
M4A is an MPEG-4 audio file, most often holding AAC. Apple devices lean on it heavily: the iPhone Voice Memos app saves recordings as M4A, iTunes Store songs download as M4A, and GarageBand and many Mac apps export it. It sounds good for its size, yet some older gadgets, upload forms and software still expect MP3 specifically.
This converter decodes your M4A and writes a new MP3 with LAME at 192 kbps, constant bitrate. The original sample rate is preserved up to 48 kHz, and a mono memo stays mono while a stereo song stays stereo. There is nothing to configure.
Standard M4A files use AAC, which is already lossy. Going to MP3 means decoding that AAC and compressing it again with a different codec, so a small amount of additional detail is lost. At 192 kbps this second generation is usually inaudible, but the MP3 can never sound better than the M4A you started with.
File size depends on the bitrate of your source, because the MP3 is always 192 kbps, or about 1.44 MB per minute:
| Your M4A | Size per minute | Resulting MP3 |
|---|---|---|
| AAC at 256 kbps (typical store purchase) | about 1.9 MB | around 25% smaller |
| AAC at 192 kbps | about 1.44 MB | about the same size |
| AAC at 128 kbps | about 0.96 MB | around 50% larger |
| Low-bitrate speech recording | well under 1 MB | noticeably larger, no better sound |
A larger MP3 from a low-bitrate memo is normal. The extra bytes do not add detail; they simply reflect the fixed output bitrate.
Some M4A files contain ALAC (Apple Lossless) rather than AAC, for example CDs imported in lossless mode or memos recorded with a lossless quality setting. Those behave like any lossless source: the MP3 is far smaller but no longer lossless, so hold on to the original.
.m4p or came from Apple Music: it is DRM-protected and cannot be converted..m4b: that extension uploads fine, but whole audiobooks usually exceed the 50 MB limit, and ones bought from stores like Audible or Apple Books are copy-protected.The M4A you upload is removed immediately after a successful conversion, and the MP3 is deleted within about an hour. If you need uncompressed audio for editing instead, M4A to WAV is the better fit; the M4A converter lists the other formats.
| M4A | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-4 Audio (AAC in an MP4 container) | MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer III |
| Compression | Lossy (AAC) | Lossy |
| Developed by | MPEG / Apple | Fraunhofer IIS / MPEG |
| Introduced | 2003 | 1993 |
| File extension | .m4a | .mp3 |
| Typically used for | Apple Music and iTunes libraries, iPhone voice memos, podcasts | Music libraries, podcasts, everyday listening |
| Plays on | Apple devices, Android, Windows 10+, modern browsers | Virtually every phone, computer, browser, car stereo and media player |
| Our output | AAC-LC 192 kbps in MP4, fast-start | LAME MP3, 192 kbps CBR, stereo |
In the Voice Memos app, use the share option to save the recording to Files. Then open this page in Safari, tap the upload box, choose the memo from Files, select MP3 and tap Convert. When it finishes, tap Download. Voice memos are usually small, so they fit easily within the 50 MB limit.
Slightly, in theory. Most M4A files contain AAC, which is already lossy, so creating an MP3 means decoding and compressing the audio a second time. At the fixed 192 kbps setting this extra loss is usually inaudible, but the MP3 can never sound better than the original M4A.
The MP3 is always 192 kbps, about 1.44 MB per minute. If your M4A used a lower bitrate, as speech recordings often do, the MP3 will be bigger. AAC is also more efficient than MP3 at the same bitrate. The extra size does not add quality; it just reflects the fixed output setting.
No. Old iTunes purchases with the .m4p extension and songs downloaded through Apple Music are protected by DRM, and the converter cannot process protected files. DRM-free M4A files, such as your own recordings, GarageBand exports and unprotected iTunes Store songs, convert normally.
No. The uploaded M4A is deleted as soon as the conversion succeeds, and the finished MP3 plus any leftover files are removed automatically within about an hour. We don't listen to or keep your audio, and you don't need to create an account or sign in to use the converter.
Need detailed information or want to set a different default format? Visit our specific converter pages: